There was a long moment of silence between all the Ta've on the moon. Dimmit and Arish came out after the fighting had stopped and seen the aftermath. Even they were respectful enough to the natives to give them a moment if silence for their fallen comrades.
Del couldn't help but beat himself up on the flight back to the planets surface. He knew a negotiation was was too good to be true. What he didn't count on was the complete lack of morality and savagery of the Drenziens the empire had sent. Though, in hindsight, he supposed he should have expected as much.
The remaining Ta've that had survived the botched negotiation on the moon were back on Aerilia. Rom was being put to rest. His loss was being felt heavily throughout the tribes large city.
The Nara'ki had been silent towards Del since he got back. Del was hurt, but he ultimately couldn't blame them. Del returned to the Ad'dache tribe with chieftan Tamiri, feeling it best to give the Nara'ki tribe its space in their time of mourning.
He flew The General back to the Ad'dache tribe and left it with them. Dimmit flew the Pretipice back with the surviving fighters and Tamiri, while Arish piloted the Drenziens ship that was named Reddington, back to the planets surface.
Though arguably predictable, that didn't make the chieftans death any easier in his people. Del felt a shift in the Nara'ki tribes energy, he felt uncomfortable and unwelcome around them. Even Nimlis hadn't spoken since he'd returned.
Del wasn't all that okay himself either. It had been him who convinced Rom to move forward with the negotiation. Him that planned a backup plan without telling Rom, and it didn't even matter in the end. He ended up getting the old chieftan killed anyway.
Del looked down at the stone ground following Tamiri and the fighters through the somber quiet Ad'dache city, back to the temple. He shook his head, no matter how he looked at it, he couldn't help but blame himself for what had happened. At the very least partially.
The group of fighters followed by Del all climbed the long stone staircase and entered the temple. Once inside the large stone temple, the fighters dispersed, and Tamiri motioned for Del to follow her. She then led him through a series of hallways until she finally opened a large wooden door leading to a large decurated bed hanger, her personal chamber it would seem.
Tamiri crossed the large room and sat in a comfortable looking chair beside a long coffee table. She looked at Dem and then to the couch across the coffee table from her. Del nodded and sat on the couch, and tgsvtei sat in silence for a while.
Finally, Tamiri let out a long sigh and spoke. Thankfully she did, as Del certainly wasn't going to be the one to speak first.
"You cannot blame yourself it." She said flat out.
"Hm?" Dark asked. The question catching him genuinely off guard, he thought he'd been masking his emotions rather well.
"Oh don't be coi, it is written on your face." Tamiri stated.
"Ah." Del shrugged.
"Guess there's no hiding it."
"No." Tamiri said.
"But… he knew what he was doing. He knew the risks, and it was foolish from the start. It would have ended this way regardless." Tamiri muttered the last two words and looked down at the ground.
"I suppose your right." Said Del.
"Still, I pushed him to do it, and I'm just gonna have to live with that." He sighed.
Tamiri shrugged and nodded.
"You know you must leave here now, and quickly." Tamiri said, her eyes now staring daggers into Del's.
"There are bigger fish out there, young outsider."
"Bigger fish?" Del snarikly retorted, one eyebrow raised. He knew what she meant but her words were ironic given the Drenziens smaller size.
Tamiri leaned back in her chair with her hands clasped. She pondered Del's words for a moment before giving him a smirk.
"Oh young one, there's always a bigger fish out there."
Those words pierced Del deeply, he now wondered if she was referring to the Drenziens at all or another species entirely. Perhaps a worse species. Though Tamiri smirked there was serious look in her eyes. The words haunted Del for a moment, he knew all to well it was true. Now his mind was racing with questions of what else could possibly be how there, and how he could avoid it.
Even if it were the Drenziens Tamiri was speaking of, it was true. Now that the Drenzien's had seen Del, even though all three of the visiting purple aliens were dead, there was still a chance they now knew he survived the initial ambush of the operating base. If they knew he was involved here, they would be looking for him.
Dimmit and Arish were also at risk. Though they hadn't been seen, they would certainly be discovered soon enough if the Drenzien empire caught wind of their survival.
Del felt he owed his purple companions after all they'd gone to help him here, and it coincidentally happened that he had to leave too, so he felt he must help them now.
"Yeah." Was all he said in response after a long pause.
"We'll be going. Listen, The Nara'ki will never give up The General, and I don't think they should" Del stated.
"But, I told Arish to pilot the other ship, the Drenzien's ship, Reddington, back here." Del finished. He offered a faint smile, trying to lighten up the situation.
"You have my thanks." Tamiri said with a smile.
Tamiri then stood and Dek followed. She then escorted Del back out of the chamber and back to the temple stairway.
"You must leave here now. Find your way outsider." Tamiri said with a smile.
"You as well." Del replied and Tamiri bowed and receded into the temple, leaving Fel at the top of the steps.
Del descended the long stairway and met up with Arish outside the city gates. The two made their way towards the Pretipice Dimmit had landed nearby. Dimm popped up out of Del's shirt collar only to crawl bs k inside upon feeling the wind chill from the Moltic sea.
"We finally headed off this wold then? Our work done?" Arish asked, a hopefulness in her tone.
Del sighed. He could tell that even through her tough exterior even she was afraid of the Drenzien empire.
"Pretty quick, there's just one more thing I want to do here. Don't worry, It'll be quick." Del replied, which was met with a long sigh from Arish, but Del expected that.